Glass run channel



April 30, 1946. w. S. CAMERON GLAss'RUN CHANNEL Filed Jan. 1l, 1945 INVENTOR W/LL/AM .5. CAMERON BY y s f Z K ATTORNEYS Patented Apr. 30, 1946 2.399.204 GLASS RUN CHANNEL William S. Cameron, Port Clinton, Ohio, assignor to The Standard Products Company, Detroit, Mich., a corporation of Ohio Application January 11, 1943, Serial No. 471,980

7 Claims.

This invention relates to runways or guides, such as are used in automobile bodies and the like for the guidance and/or support ,of windowpanes. More particularly, the present invention relates to that type of window runway or guide which is of generally channel-shaped cross section and which is adapted to be longitudinally bent to conform to the contour of the window frame in which it is mounted in use thereof.

The primary object of the present invention is the provision of a window runway or guide which is of simpleand inexpensive construction, so that it can be made and sold at low cost; which can be readily and easily bent longitudinally to thereby enable it to properly conform to the contour of the window frame in which it is used; and which has a sheet metal core of sumcient rigidity for proper lateral support of the Windowpane received thereby, the degree of rigidity of such core, particularly of its -side Walls, being such that there is little likelihood of distortion and crushing thereof.

A more speciiic object of the present invention is the provision of a window runway or guide having a suitably covered transversely slotted core of generally channel-shaped crossl section. the slots of said core extending throughthe core base and well into the core side walls, so that the core and its covering can be readily bent, longitudinally, to arcuately and otherwise conform to the Window frame contour, and which core is provided, in those portions of its base and side walls lying between said transverse slots, with suitable oorrugations for added strength and rigidity, the core corrugations being transversely disposed relative to the core and preferably being coextensive in length with the slots thereof.

A further object of the present invention is the provision of a window runway or guide in which the side walls of its generally channel-shaped core are provided with inwardly bent longitudinal guide portions in spaced relation to the core base, and which inwardly bentside wall portions provide the core, throughout its entire length, with a constricting neck for proper latera1 support of the windowpane received thereby,'the

. transverse slots with which the core is provided extending to substantially the top of said inwardly bent side wall portions, all as will hereinafter more fully appear.

Further objects of the present invention, and many of its practical advantages,'will be referred to in, or will be evident from, the following description of two embodiments of such invention,

reference being had to the accompanying drawing, in which Fig. 1 is a perspective view, on the line i-i,

Fig. 2, of a section of a window runway or guide constituting such embodiment of the present invention, the iiexible covering of the core of the runway or guide being removed for a portion of such section;

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view, on the line 2-2, Fig. 1, of the runway or guide of Fig. 1, the core covering being removed throughout a portion of the length of the runway or guide;

Fig. 3 is a view, partly in section and partly in side elevation, of the aforesaid section of said runway or guide, as mounted in a window frame for the reception and support of a windowpane, the runway or guide section conformingl to the arcuate contour of said window frame;

Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the runway or guide, as mounted in a channel-shaped groove of the window frame of Fig. 3, the view being on the line Q- of Fig. 3; and

Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional view of one of the side walls and a portion of the base of a slightly modified form of runway or guide embodying the present invention.

Before the window runways or guides here illustrated are specifically described, it is to be understood that the invention here involved is not limited to the details of construction or the specific arrangement of parts herein illustrated or described, as the invention obviously may take other forms. It also is to be understood that the phraseology or terminology herein employed is I for the purpose of description and not of limitation, the scope of the present invention being 'indicated by the appended claims. y

As will be evident from the accompanying hesively secured to the core, as will be readily understood.

Referring first to that embodiment of the invention illustrated in Figs. 1 to 4 inclusive, it will be evident from Figs. 1 and 4 that the core A, of sheet metal or other suitable material, has a base Il (here shown as of generally fiat form) and a pair of side walls II for receiving and supporting a windowpan such as the automobile windowpane I2 shown in Figs. 3 and 4. As best shown inFigs. 1 and 4, the core side walls I I have generally parallel wall portions I3 adjacent the base III and extending substantially normal thereto (their dispomtion being upright in Fig. l) inwardly flaring wall portions Il from which extend generally parallel wall portions Il substantially normal to the base IU, and outwardly ilaring terminal portions Il which may be, and here are, of nat beaded form for increased strength and rigidity, the metal or other material of each such terminal portion being bent back upon itself, as clearly shown in Figs. land 4, for the formation of said terminal or edge bead. 'I'he core is thus provided, throughout its length, with a constrictive neck, the generally parallel, inwardly disposed and longitudinally extending wall portions I6 ailording eifective lateral support of the windowpane, and effecting guidance thereof, if the windowpane is of movable character, all as will be evident from Fig. 4.

To enable the window runway or guide to conform to the contour of the window frame in which it is mounted in use thereof, the core of said runway or guide is provided throughout its length with a series of closely spaced transverse slots I8. As clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 2. each of these slots extends through the base I and into each of the side walls I I, said slots here extending into said side walls a distance substantially equal to the depth of such side walls. In other words, each of the transverse core slots Il extends from the terminal or longitudinal edge portions I8 of one side wall across the core to the terminal or longitudinal edge portion I6 of the other side wall, the beaded character of such terminal or edge portions preventing any possibility of their tearing at the ends of said slots, as will be readily understood. As will be evident from Fig. 3, the transverse slotting of the core enables the runway or guide to be readily bent, longitudinally, to any desired arcuate contour, to thereby conform to the contour of the window frame in which it is mounted in use thereof. In such longitudinal bending of the runway or guide, the relatively narrow and transversely disposed portions I9 of the core base I I) and the corresponding transversely disposed and relatively narrow portions 20 of the core side walls II, between the closely spaced transverse core slots I8, are displaced somewhat farther apart, progressively toward the base portions I9, as clearly shown in Fig. 3. This displacement of the relatively narrow base and side wall portions I9 and III, between the slots I 8, is readily permitted by the core covering B, as the material thereof either is such as to stretch sufficiently for such purpose or there is suillcient fullness therein to permit the necessary elongation of the base and adjacent side portions of the covering. If the covering is not secured. adhesively or the like, to the core, the core base and side wall portions I9 and 2U, between the slots I8, may move within and relative to the covering, as will be readily understood.

To give added strength and rigidity to the transversely disposed and relatively narrow core base and side wall portions I9 and 20, between the slots I8, said portions are of corrugated form, the ribs or ridges 22 forming such corrugatlons being transversely disposed relative to the core and being, if desired and as here shown, coextensive in length with the core slots Il. As will be evident from Figs. 2 and 3, the ribs or ridges 22 are here pressed outwardly from the metal or other material ot the core base and side wall portions I l and 2D, and are here shown as embedded in the outer layer of the core covering B, the side wail ribs or ridges being continuations of the base ribs or ridges, if desired and as here shown. Although the transversely corrugated character of the core does not interfere with longitudinal bending thereof, it does add considerable strength and rigidity to the transversely disposed and relatively narrow base and side wall portions I9 and 20 of the core and thus to the core as a whole. Moreover, the shaping of the core side walls to provide the core with a constrictive neck-the core side walls being, in effect, oi' longitudinally corrugated forme-greatly adds to the strength and rigidity of the core, again without interfering with longitudinal bending of the core.

For the lateral support of the windowpane I2 of Figs. 3 and 4, and for the guidance oi' such windowpane if it is edgewise movable, the runway or guide is mounted in a channel-shaped groove 23 of the window frame 2l, the runway or guide receiving the peripheral edge of the windowpane, as is usual. As shown in Fig. 4, the runway or guide is of such width as to t more or less snugly in the groove 28, the side walls of the runway or guide adjacent the base thereof having substantial engagement with the groove side walls, and the terminal or free iongitudinal edge portions of the runway or guide side walls extending outwardly or divergently into engagement with the groove side walls. The inwardly positioned and generally parallel longitudinal core portions I5 are thus more or less rigidly disposed when the runway or guide is in the window frame groove 23, and as a result, effective lateral support and guidance of the windowpane I2 is always insured. There is, oi' course, suiiicient lateral give in the core side walls and their textile or other covering to "dampenf any lateral vibration of the windowpane, the base of the runway or guide taking care of any vibration of the windowpane in the plane thereof.

Referring now to that embodiment ofthe invention illustrated in Fig. 5, it will be noted that this form of runway or guide differs from the one heretofore described only in the character of the terminal or longitudinal edge portions of its core A. In the runway or guide of Fig. 5, the core terminal or longitudinal edge portions are in the form of hollow beads Ilia, within which are mounted reenforcing wires 26, the wires giving the core, and hence the runway or guide as a whole, increased strength and rigidity, as will be readily understood.

In other respects, the runway or guide of Fig. 5 corresponds to the one illustrated in Figs. 1 to 4 inclusive, and to the corresponding parts of the runway or guide of Fig. 5 are applied the corresponding reference numerals of Figs. l to 4 inclusive..

As will be readily understood, runways or guide embodying the present invention are applicable for use with other panel-like objects than windowpanes, including panel-like objects which are opaque in character, the windowpanes or other panel-like objects being either stationary or movable.

To those skilled in the art to which the present invention relates, other features and advantages of runways or guides embodying the present invention will be evident from the foregoing description of two embodiments of such invention.

What I claim is:

1. A runway or guide, comprising a core of generally channel-shaped cross section having a base and a pair of longitudinally corrugated spaced side walls, said core having a series of slots extending across its base and into the longitudinal corrugations of its side walls, the longitudinally spaced and transversely disposed portions of said core base and side walls between said slots being corrugated, the'latter corrugations being transversely disposed relative to the COTE.

2. A runway or guide for a windowpane or the like, comprising a core of generally channelshaped cross section having a base and a pair of spaced side walls, each of said side walls having a longitudinally disposed inwardly extending rib in spaced relation to the core base and of generally channel-shaped cross section, the bases of said side wallri-bs being generally normal to the core base and providing substantial planar support for the side faces of the windowpane or the like, th outer side walls of said ribs constituting the free longitudinal edge portions of the core side walls, said core being provided with a series of longitudinally spaced slots extending across the core base and into each of the core side walls, and the transversely disposed portions of said core base and core side walls between said slots being provided with corrugations extending transversely of said core.

3. A runway or guide for a windowpane or the like, comprising a core of generally channelshaped cross section having a base and a pair of spaced side walls, each of said side walls having a longitudinally disposed inwardly extending rib in spaced relation to the core base and of generally channel-shaped cross section, the bases of said side wall ribs being generally normal to the core base and providing substantial planar support for the side faces of the windowpane or the like, the outer side walls of said ribs constituting the free longitudinal edge portions of the core side walls, said core being provided with a series of longitudinally spaced slots extending across the core base and into the core side walls to the outer side walls of the side wall ribs, and the transversely disposed core .base and side wall portions between said slots being provided with corrugations extending transversely of said core.

4. A runway or guide for a windowpane or the like, comprising a one-piece sheet metal core of generally channel-shaped cross section having a base and a pair of spaced side walls, each of said side walls having a longitudinally disposed inwardly extending rib in spaced relation to the core base and of generally channel-shaped cross section, the bases of said side wall ribs being generally normal to the core base and providing substantial planar support for the side faces of the windowpane or the like, the side walls of said ribs being generally parallel with the core base and the outer side walls of said ribs constituting the free longitudinal edge portions of the core side walls, the free longitudinal edges of the outer side walls of said ribs being generally in alignment with the longitudinal edges of the core base, said core being provided with a series of longitudinally spaced slots extending across the core base and into the core side walls to the outer side walls of 7the side wall ribs, and the transversely disposed core base and side wall portions between said slots being provided with corrugations extending transversely of said core.'

5. A runway or guide for a windowpane or the like, comprising a core having a base and a pair of spaced side walls, each of said side walls having a longitudinally disposed inwardly extending rib in spaced relation to the core base and of generally channel-shaped cross section, the bases.

of said ribs providing lateral support for the windowpane or the like and the outer side walls of said ribs constituting the free longitudinal edge portions of the core side walls, the core being provided with a series of longitudinally spaced slots extending across its core bese and into each of its side walls, the transversely disposed portions of the core base and side walls between said slots being provided with corrugations extending transversely of the core.

6. A runway or guide for a windowpane or the like, comprising a core having a base and a pair of spaced side walls, each of said side walls having upper and lower wall portions substantially normal to the core base, the upperl portions of the core side walls being inwardly oiset relative to the lower portions thereof and being connected thereto by portions substantially parallel with the core base, the upper portions of the core side walls providing lateral support for the windowpane or the like, the core being provided with a series of longitudinally spaced slots extending across its base and into its side walls and the transversely disposed core base and side wall parts between said slots being provided with corrugations extending transversely o1' the core.

'7. A runway or guide for a windowpane or the like, comprising a core having a base and a pair of side. walls, each of saidside walls having an inwardly extending integral rib spaced from the core base for lateral support of the windowpane or the like, the core being provided with a series of slots extending across its base and into each of the ribs of its side walls, the longitudinally spaced and transversely disposed portions of said base and side walls between said slots being corrugated, the corrugations being transversely disposed relative to the base.

WILLIAM S. CAMERON. 

